Florida girl tossed into the air by charging bison at Yellowstone

A 9-year-old girl from the Tampa area was tossed into the air Monday afternoon when a bison bull charged her at Yellowstone National Park.

The girl, from Odessa, was injured but has since been treated and released by park medical officials, according to the National Park Service.

Video of the incident went viral, first appearing in a tweet from Twitter user @haileyydayton. She later deleted the tweet, citing “cruel and inconsiderate comments that this young girl would most likely see.”

Video shows two people running away right before the incident. People can be heard screaming, with one person shouting, “Oh my God!” as the bison charges the girl while she tries to run away.

“According to witnesses, a group of approximately 50 people were within 5-10 feet of the bison for at least 20 minutes before eventually causing the bison to charge the group,” according to a statement from park officials.

They warned in a press release on the incident that visitors should stay 25 yards away from all “large animals,” including bison.

The girl was first taken to Old Faithful lodge for assessment and treatment before she was later taken to the park’s medical clinic, which has the same name, the NPS stated.

Officials are still investigating the incident and have not yet released any citations.

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This article appears in Jul 24-30, 2019.